Marvin Isley (August 18, 1953 – June 6, 2010)
– accessed June 2010 was an American musician best known as the youngest member of the family music group

the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

and its

bass guitarist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low bra ...

Early life

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Isley and his family moved to a home in

Englewood, New Jersey Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of Engle ...

in the summer of 1959. Isley eventually graduated from Englewood's Dwight Morrow High School in 1972.Wilner, Paul
"Isley Brothers: A Family Affair"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', March 13, 1977. Accessed September 18, 2011. "WHEN Sallye Isley moved her brood of children from Cincinnati to Englewood in the summer of 1959, she was participating in a show-business phenomenon.... While their older brothers toured America, the younger Isley boys enrolled successively in Englewood Junior High and Dwight Morrow High School.... Right now, the brothers reside near enough to each other to keep in close touch. Ronald lives in Teaneck, Kelly Jr. in Alpine, Rudolph in Haworth and Ernie in Englewood." In 1976, he graduated from C.W. Post College with a degree in music.

Career

Marvin began playing bass guitar while in high school and by the end of the decade was being tutored and mentored by his elder brothers alongside elder brother Ernie and their friend, Chris Jasper, who was an in-law. By 1971, Marvin began performing bass guitar on

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

' album, '' Givin' It Back''. Within two years, he became an official member of the group. In addition to playing bass, he also provided percussion and also wrote or co-wrote some of the group's hits including " Fight the Power", " The Pride" and " Between the Sheets". Breaking away from the Isleys in 1984, he, Ernie and Chris formed the trio,

Isley-Jasper-Isley Isley-Jasper-Isley was a splinter group of the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ro ...

, who had a hit in 1985 with "

Caravan of Love "Caravan of Love" is a 1985 song originally recorded by American R&B group Isley-Jasper-Isley, the second half of the Isley Brothers' ''3 + 3'' lineup of the 1970s. A cover version by the British band the Housemartins became an international ...

". The group broke up in 1988 after Ernie Isley signed a solo recording deal. Three years later, Marvin and Ernie reunited with Ron Isley to reform the Isley Brothers. Marvin remained a member until complications from his longtime battle with

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

forced him into retirement in 1997. Having been diagnosed with diabetes in his early 20s, Isley's condition worsened to the point where he had to have both legs amputated. Isley was inducted as a member of the Isley Brothers to the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

in 1992.

Death

Marvin Isley died on June 6, 2010, from complications of

at the Seasons Hospice within Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, at age 56. Besides his brothers Rudolph, Ronald, and Ernie, Isley was survived by his wife Sheila Felton Isley, a son Cory, and two daughters, Sydney and Jalen. Marvin is interred in George Washington Memorial Park in

Paramus, New Jersey Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H, ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...

. His niche is located 2 spots above singer/songwriter,

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Isley, Marvin 1953 births 2010 deaths American funk bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American male guitarists American rhythm and blues bass guitarists American soul guitarists Deaths from diabetes in the United States Dwight Morrow High School alumni Musicians from Cincinnati Musicians from Englewood, New Jersey The Isley Brothers members Guitarists from Ohio 20th-century American guitarists Burials at George Washington Memorial Park (Paramus, New Jersey)